HUBIE BROWN GAVE HIS ALL

MIKE ANTHONY; Courant Staff WriterTHE HARTFORD COURANT

Hubie Brown is simply worn out, so he got out.

Brown's resignation as coach of the Grizzlies was abrupt, unexpected and fitting. Citing a lack of energy and the need to deal with an undisclosed medical issue, Brown stepped aside without much hoopla, as it should be. After 424 victories in stints with three teams, a return to the bench after 16 years of retirement/television work and having given the Grizzlies an identity in their short Memphis history, the oldest coach in the NBA has had enough.

"I need on a daily basis an energy and a stamina, and then with me it's a spirit," Brown, 71, said at a press conference Friday. "But the key is spirit. See, the spirit is what gives you the passion on a daily basis. One day you wake up, you don't have that, and that's when you've got to understand that it's time you've got to walk."

There was no trying to hang on, no trying finish on the perfect note, just the realization that he and the franchise might be better off without each other. Having led the Grizzlies to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, Brown passes the clipboard to interim coach Lionel Hollins, his assistant. Mike Fratello has been interviewed as a possible replacement.

Brown, the reigning coach of the year, leaves behind a storied career -- this time, certainly for good. He got his start as coach of the Hawks in 1976-81 and moved on to New York in 1982-86 before picking apart the league from press row and television studios, becoming one of the better known personalities at the height of the NBA's popularity.

Brown's latest project was arguably his most successful. He took over an 0-8 Grizzlies team in 2002 and led them to a then-franchise record 28 victories. Last season, with Brown clearly gaining the respect of players young and old, Memphis was 50-32. The Grizzlies had gone from irrelevant to interesting, and Brown had shown that time away had not dulled one of the sharpest minds in the game.

If it were up to team president Jerry West, Brown probably would have coached to 80 and beyond. But, with the Grizzlies 5-7 after Thursday's loss to Seattle, the face of the franchise was suddenly gone, closing an inspiring coaching chapter in league history.

"This is an extremely sad day for me," West said in a statement. "This franchise is by far better from the leadership and guidance of Hubie Brown, and we will forever be grateful to Hubie."

1 Stunner After Another

Another day, another dose of bizarre trouble.

Minnesota center Michael Olowokandi apparently was glued to a bar stool Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Indianapolis police resorted to use of a stun gun and arrested Olowokandi after he refused to leave a club at its 3 a.m. closing time.

Olowokandi, who recently lost his starting job, apparently lost all reason at the worst time for the NBA, nursing a bruised image a week after the Pistons-Pacers-fans brawl.

"We are extremely disappointed in Michael Olowokandi's actions," Minnesota general manager Jim Stack said in a statement.

The incident only piles on to the embarrassment of the Nov. 19 brawl in Detroit, which commissioner David Stern addressed with little leniency. With Ron Artest suspended for the season, Jermaine O'Neal for 25 games and Stephen Jackson for 30, Stern's penalties sent a strong message.

Essentially dismantling one of the Eastern Conference's better teams, Stern did all he could to prevent something so dangerous and ludicrous from ever happening again.

The players got theirs from Stern while police are still investigating fan conduct and searching for instigators. The fans should get theirs, too, and they likely will. But the bottom line is that fans' childish behavior can never be met with more of the same.

Carter's Best Move: Out

For months now, we've heard how Vince Carter wants out of Toronto. And for weeks now, we've heard fans at Raptors games boo him.

Once one of the NBA's greatest sources of energy and highlights, Carter's presence in Toronto is now just a festering wound.

For the betterment of the league, here's hoping he is soon traded. He is having the worst season of his career (averaging 16.1 points), the Raptors are going nowhere and Carter now has been the subject of threats made by fans.

Who's winning here? No one.

A change of scenery for Carter, until this season a one-man highlight reel, would do wonders for him, the league and the Raptors. It would provide a story worth watching, and possibly give the NBA back a player who was not long ago at the center of virtually every marketing push. The NBA needs the old Carter back as much as Toronto needs to get rid of him.

Sonic Boom

The Sonics keep winning, leading to only one question: When will we stop being surprised?

They are a team with a starting lineup of four relatively unknowns and one All-Star guard -- Ray Allen -- who at times has been as passive as he is gifted.

So how has Seattle (12-2) emerged as the NBA's surprise story a month into the season? Because Allen, in his ninth year, has become the take-charge star of a team in need of a leader, playing the best and smartest ball of his career. Because Seattle seems to play in a way the 2003-04 Lakers or recent Dream Teams couldn't figure out -- with a pecking order, a chain of command, with a host of role players chipping in, then talking about the next game instead of themselves.

And because the Sonics, shooting a league-best 39.5 percent from behind the arc, keep taking and making three-pointers -- when they're not leaving teams behind with an aggressive fastbreak.

Allen has been the catalyst, headlining a group that would have surprised few had their record been reversed at this point. The former UConn guard is averaging 24.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists, seemingly fitting into the flow of the offense under coach Nate McMillan even better than he did under George Karl in Milwaukee.